Öcalan Has Handed "Road Map" to Prison Management

Abdullah Öcalan, imprisoned leader of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party), has composed a "road map" of what he believes will lead to a solution of the Kurdish question.

Such a road map had been announced, but the issue had always been how the text would reach the public.

The text, which was supposed to be published on 15 August, was handed to the prison prosecution by Öcalan on 20 August. Lawyers from the Asrın Law Office spoke to Öcalan yesterday (26 August). Lawyer Ömer Güneş said that they would apply to the prosecution to be given the document.

He added that Öcalan had asked for the text to be "given to the relevant state institutions, the press and the European Court of Human Rights" when he handed it to the prosecution.

When Öcalan meets with his lawyers, he is not permitted to hand them any texts or recordings. The lawyers are allowed to take notes, but cannot take them with them. They have to hand them over to the prison management, and it takes up to three months for them to get them back.

The prison management is not allowed to interfere with texts of defense for the European Court of Human Rights, but again, it takes time for such texts to reach their destination. (EÜ/AG)